As he closed out his first month as interim executive director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency, Tony De La Rosa took some time for a conference call conversation Jan. 6 with the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board – to report his initial impressions and to look ahead.
Also on the call: Heath Rada, moderator of the 2014 General Assembly, giving an update on his “call to the church.”
Here are some highlights.
Budgets
With less money, “we really need to recognize that we can no longer do everything that we once did or even that we are doing today,” De La Rosa said. In April, the board is expected to approve a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) mission budget for 2017-2018, and that budget will go to the General Assembly for its consideration in June.
Budget cuts and staff reductions are expected. De La Rosa is encouraging belt-tightening now to reduce the impact as much as possible – keeping a close eye on expenses for travel, capital expenses and technology. Voluntary severance packages will be offered to some current employees. The Presbyterian Mission Agency staff will not receive raises in 2016 – producing a savings of $471,000.
Culture
In his first month, De La Rosa has conducted what he calls a “values identification exercise” with the denomination’s national staff – asking people to choose from among a list of words or phrases that reflect their personal values and that are advanced or expressed by their work on behalf of the church. The top five were these:
- Faith and spirituality.
- Compassion and concern for others.
- Accountability and responsibility.
- Teamwork and collaboration.
- Hard work and excellence.
“There are many, many faithful servants that occupy the desks in this building,” De La Rosa said. He encouraged board members “to voice public words of support for the staff,” and said that while some have critiqued the work of the Presbyterian Mission Agency, “it’s now time for the pendulum to begin swinging the other way.”
There was no discussion during the call of a report released the same day by the Presbyterian Mission Agency Review Committee, which raised concerns about strategic direction at the Presbyterian Mission Agency, poor coordination with other General Assembly agencies and a work environment that the committee said was characterized by anxiety and distrust.
Gathering ideas
A Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (COGA) effort to gather views on Presbyterian identity, mission and focus drew 3,101 responses – the largest ever for a denominational survey, said Eileen Lindner, a COGA member and former editor of the Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. The plan is to make the results available in early February.
Conversations
“The church is aware that it needs to change,” Rada said, adding that the “call to the church” he issued last September is part of a broad conversation about restructuring and new approaches to mission that’s happening now and will continue at the General Assembly in Portland, Oregon.
Rada personally will lead four conversations in February and March – in San Diego (where evangelical Presbyterians have recently met); in Iowa (wanting to hear the voices of small and rural churches); and in New York and Atlanta (places of cultural diversity). Others may organize conversations as well, and while Rada said he may not be able to attend all of those, he’s preparing a video and a template for conversations that could be used at gatherings which others might convene.
Rada asked Presbyterians to pray in the months to come for discernment and clarity. “Walking orders will come from this General Assembly,” he said – and both De La Rosa and Rada said they see this as a time of creativity and opportunity for the PC(USA).